RED ALERT: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Sarah Glenn, right, looks to unload the ball against Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last Wednesday evening. Senior star Glenn scored a goal in a losing cause as third-seeded PHS fell 9-8 in double-overtime to the second-seeded Redbirds. The Tigers, now 12-5, will be starting play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 sectional where they are seeded seventh and will host 10th-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood on May 19 in a first round contest. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team fell 9-8 in double overtime to Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals last Wednesday evening, Sarah Glenn made a beeline for an icepack

It was no wonder that PHS senior star Glenn felt some pain after the Tigers came up just short in a bruising battle between the rivals.

While the defeat stung, Glenn was proud of how the Tigers competed.

“We were really excited for this game, we worked hard all season to prepare for this,” said Glenn of the matchup which saw PHS rally to defeat Allentown 10-9 in overtime in a regular season meeting on April 27. “We really brought the intensity, we kept our heads up. I think we played really well as a team.”

Both squads showed intensity on the defensive end in the early stages of the game as PHS trailed 3-2 at halftime.

“We were working hard out there, we definitely stepped it up,” said Glenn. “All the players on defense knew what their goal was; everyone played to their individual best.”

There were a few more goals in the second half as the teams traded tallies and were tied at five different points, including 8-8 at the end of regulation.

Heading into overtime, PHS was looking to repeat its regular season heroics. Neither team scored in the first overtime and the Redbirds notched the winning tally with 2:11 left in the second extra session after gaining possession on a dry violation call against PHS.

“We knew it was going to be tough,  Allentown is quick and they are aggressive,” said Glenn. “We were confident going in, they are a good team.”

Star defender Glenn showed some good skills at the offensive end as she scored the first goal of the second half and battled on the draw controls.

“All of us have stepped up on the team,” said Glenn, who is headed to the University of Chicago where she will be playing for its women’s lax program. “Kate Becker is a great leader and coach Katie [Federico] is an amazing coach. When the shifts need to happen, they do.”

PHS head coach Federico liked the way her players stepped up in the rematch with the Redbirds.

“I could not be more proud of my girls,” said Federico. “I told them, whatever the outcome is, as long as you give 100 percent, I am happy. They did so they should be really proud of themselves.”

Although Federico would have liked to see her team sweep Allentown, she appreciated the quality of the contests.

“You always know you are going to get a hard game against Allentown; the game in the regular season and today were just two beautiful games of lacrosse,” said Federico. “It is just a battle back and forth.”

The defenses dominated in the battle last Wednesday. “It was definitely a game of defense,” said Federico, who got three goals from sophomore Riley Devlin in the loss with senior star Becker chipping in a goal and two assists and
senior Grace Rebak tallying two goals and an assist.

“Even the final score, 9-8, is not very high for what both teams are capable of doing.”

There was high drama as the contest went into overtime. “I said to my assistant, here we go again,” said Federico. “These girls don’t make it easy but that is the joy of a semifinal in a tournament that you are going to find that game and have it. We knew it was going to be hard and we had to play smart. We had to control the ball and not have any costly turnovers. It is just the way the pendulum swung at that point of the game. Kudos to them but now we look forward to states.”

With the Tigers, now 12-5, starting play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 sectional where they are seeded seventh and will host 10th-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood on May 19 in a first round contest, Federico believes the squad will put the MCT loss behind it and will be ready for a big run in states.

“It is what it is and we move on,” said Federico. “We will have a couple of days to recoup and we will get right back into it.”

Glenn is confident that PHS will get back in the groove when it hits the field for the sectional.

“I think we are going to play hard like we have all season,” said Glenn. “It will be exciting. We are working hard and playing to our best and that will take us far.”